The Intention is good

Pressbrief

Sunday, August 24, 2014

New Delhi:
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra handed
over the keys of especially designed motorised vehicles to 52 physically
challenged people on Saturday under the 'Access to Opportunities' programme of
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.

This programme
is conducted every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of former Prime
Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka, who are the Trustee and
Executive Trustee of the foundation interacted with the awardees while handing
over the vehicle keys. The participants clicked pictures with Rahul and
Priyanka Gandhi. The Congress vice president also advised the awardees to
"drive slow".

Some awardees
also brought souvenirs from their native places which was warmly received by
the trustees. This year the Foundation will be distributing 150 vehicles across
different parts of the country. For the Delhi distribution ceremony, 52
selected recipients from Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal were given the vehicles at Jawahar
Bhawan here.

"Through a
rigorous selection process, the focus was to identify those individuals whose
physical disability was limiting their access to opportunities and hampering
the realisation of their potential. "Education being the main focus of the
Foundation, preferences were given to student applicants to help them access
more opportunities in education and livelihood," said a release issued by
the Foundation. The program began with an inspirational song sung by children
from 'Wonderoom', one of the initiatives of the Foundation.

Later, two of
the youth awardees from the previous year, shared their experiences of how they
benefited by the vehicle specially designed for them. They also highlighted the
idea of self dependence and freedom in mobility. After the award ceremony, the
awardees were provided training by professionals on the usage of the vehicle,
safety rules and regulations.

New Delhi:Congress President Sonia Gandhi while
addressing an event in New Delhi on the occasion of 70th birth anniversary of
her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on Wednesday, accused the Narendra
Modi government of showing "false dreams" to the people of India and
urged her Congress party to stay the course even though the road to revival may
be "longer" and the struggle, harder.

"We have
done so much but our track record was forgotten as people got caught up in a
web spun by those who showed nakli sapne (false dreams)," said the
Congress president. Sonia Gandhi repeated her charge that the new government
was taking credit for the programmes started by the previous Congress-led
regime.

Reminding the
audience that it was the Congress led UPA that had brought in women friendly
laws the Domestic Violence bill, the MNREGA Sonia Gandhi alleged that the
present NDA government had attempted to hijack the welfare programmes of the
UPA and take credit for it. "Today, those who have come to power, as is
their habit, are announcing programmes that were started by us. I want to know
who started the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Drive)? Tell me who started
building toilets under MNREGA schemes? Who promoted self-help groups in rural
women or the ASHA scheme under the National Rural Health Mission? Who did all
this?" she questioned.

Sonia Gandhi’s
comments are being seen as a direct challenge to PM Modi, who had announced in
his Independence Day speech last Friday that his government would focus on
making every village a "model village" with toilets in every home.
The Congress President also noted that the party had a "long
struggle" ahead to recover lost ground. "We will leave no stone
unturned to bring back Congress' aan, baan, shaan (pride and glory). Our
struggle may be a little longer and may require more hard work but I assure you
that we will win back our support base," said Sonia Gandhi.

The Congress
president's pep talk comes after the party's epic defeat in the national
election three months ago. The Congress was reduced to just 44 seats nationwide
- its lowest ever tally since the 1947 Independence - while the BJP rode to
power with a massive mandate. "Winning and losing is part of life...the real
thing is to stick to our ideology. The Congress has never sacrificed its
principles for elections," Sonia Gandhi told party workers.

"Today, we
are in the opposition but, the Congress will not withdraw from its commitment
to women's reservation and we will build full pressure on the NDA government to
pass the bill as soon as possible," she said.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was today remembered on his 70th birth anniversary with several leaders paying homage at his memorial in New Delhi. President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the late leader's wife and Congress President Sonia Gandhi offered flowers at his memorial 'Vir Bhumi'. Sonia Gandhi was accompanied by son and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, daughter Priyanka Gandhi and son-in-law Robert Vadra, who arrived together to pay homage. Rajiv Gandhi, who was the sixth and youngest PM of India, was assassinated on May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu during a poll campaign.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the Narendra Modi led NDA government at the Centre over the increasing incidents of communal conflicts in the country, especially in the northern India. "There has been a spurt in communal violence in the country, especially in some states, after the new government came to power," Sonia said while addressing Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee convention in Thiruvananthapuram.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi took charge in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday as he led his party's demand to discussion the Communal Violence Bill. Rahul Gandhi entered the well of the House in the Lok Sabha shouting slogans and demanding that the Bill be brought for discussion and passage. "We are asking for a discussion. There is a mentality in the government that discussion is not acceptable. There is a mood in parliament that only one man's voice counts for anything in this country," said the Congress MP from Amethi.

New Delhi:
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi joined other Congress members of
Parliament at the well in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday during a protest against
incidents of communal violence all over the country.

This occurred
after the speaker Sumitra Nahajan refused to allow any discussion on communal
violence in the Parliament. The Congress's demand came after incidents of
communal violence Saharanpur and Meerut. The Congress's demand also comes
amidst the tension over the Meerut gangrape and conversion case. The Congress
had sought an adjournment of the house proceedings to discuss communal violence
in Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country.

"We are
asking for a discussion. There is a mentality in the government that discussion
is not acceptable. There is a mood in parliament that only one man's voice
counts for anything in this country," said the Congress MP from
Amethi.When asked about his current
protest in Parliament, he said, "I have raised my voice many times in
Parliament."

Congress gave
notice of an adjournment motion over rising incidents of communal violence in
the country. The notice was given by Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun
Kharge, party MP M I Shahnawaz and party whip K C Venugopal, party sources
said. Speaker rejected their demand and continued with the question hour,
leaving Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders miffed. The leaders then stormed
into the well of the House in protest.

About Me

The site, pressbrief.in, is a veritable treasure house of videos, audios and rare photographs featuring the Gandhis. You can surf the site all the way back to Jawaharlal Nehrus the light has gone out of our lives speech. You can rewind to the rivetting 1999 Lok Sabha campaign in Rae Bareli, when Priyanka Vadra ferociously attacked Arun Nehru, calling him a backstabber. And you can watch all of Priyanka and Rahuls current campaign footage.